Giovani Bernard called it a blessing to be able to pursue his NFL dream

Giovani Bernard said he wasn’t swayed by his potential draft position. Nor was he influenced by the threat of injury.

When it came right down to it, North Carolina’s star running back said Friday that he decided to forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility to play in the NFL simply because the opportunity was there and the time was right.

“Not may kids have the opportunity to make this decision this early in life and it was a huge opportunity for me to …go on and kind of fulfill my dream of playing in the NFL,” Bernard said at a press conference in Chapel Hill. “It’s been a blessing to be able to play for this organization and I’ve been happy ever since I came here. I’m really excited to move on to the next chapter of my life.”

Bernard, a third-team All-America who led the ACC in rushing, touchdowns and punt returns this season, said he has been contemplating his move since the morning after the Tar Heels’ season-ending victory against Maryland on Nov. 24.

He said that he has filed paperwork with the NFL’s Draft Advisory Committee, but that he has yet to receive his evaluation.

The redshirt sophomore said he came to what he called a hard decision” earlier this week after extended discussions with family members and UNC coach Larry Fedora.

“I was able to talk to my brother and from all the information and all the resources I had that coach Fedora really offered me,” Bernard said. “He’s helped me so much through this entire process. Family and friends has really been there for me throughout this entire process and when it comes down to it, the decision was mine. It’s something that my heart felt.”

Bernard

Though somewhat undersized by NFL standards at 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, Bernard is projected as the top running back available by NFLdraftscout.com and is considered a late first- or early second-round draft choice.

That potential, however, played little or no role in the youngster’s decision to turn pro.

“I didn’t want to base my decision on the projections or where I was,” Bernard said. “I think it was more (that) I want to move on to my next step in life. I want to fulfill a dream that I’ve had since I was a little kid.”

As little as his draft projection factored into his decision, even less consideration was given to the potential for suffering a career-threatening.

Bernard missed the entire 2010 season after tearing an ACL on the third day of fall camp. The fact that he redshirted that season is what allowed him to be eligible for the draft after just two years of college competition.

“As a football player you take risks,” Bernard said. “Playing in the game is a risk in itself and those things kind of happen. Those are kind of uncontrollable events and for me I know every time I step on the field I am taking a risk. Even for practice I’m taking a risk, but those are things that you can’t really think about. You just got to go into with an open mind and just play the game.”

Giovani Bernard is congratulated by Maryland's Kwabena Ofori on Nov. 24 9after his final game as a Tar Heel

Bernard rushed for 1,228 yards and scored 19 touchdowns while setting a UNC school record with an average of 198.1 all-purpose yards per game. He also averaged 16.4 yards per punt return with two touchdowns – including a dramatic game-winning 74-yarder with 13 seconds left to beat rival N.C. State.

As impressive as those stats are, they might have been even better had Bernard not missed 2½ games early in the season because of a sore knee.

Fedora said his star’s decision to leave left him both excited and sad.

“I’m very excited for Gio and the ability to pursue a dream that he’s had since he was a small child,” Fedora said. “At the same time I’m sad to see him go.

“I’m sad that he’s not going to be around here and I’m going to see that smile that he’s got and have the ability to give him a hard time each day. We’re going to miss him. This team will miss him. We’ll miss his leadership. We’ll miss his ability on the football field, but maybe more than all of it we’ll miss him as a person and what he brings to this football team.”